


Keep Me Close...In Your Dreams

by Zappy



Series: Mila Verse [10]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 05:09:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11223978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zappy/pseuds/Zappy
Summary: Nightmares keep the family Bashir up, but holding each other helps.





	Keep Me Close...In Your Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after "Armageddon Game" and Trouble In Paradise. The song Julian hums to Mila is "Light In The Hallway" by Pentatonix.
> 
> The title is a quote from Pokemon the 3rd Movie: Spell of the Unown

Julian was jolted awake by something crawling over his leg. When he opened his eyes and saw faint green light it took him 0.02 seconds to register that it was Mila’s tapetum lucidum and that she was climbing onto his bed. Shifting so his weight was on his forearms he leaned up to blink curiously at her. “What’s the matter, stardust?”

 

He heard her sniffle and his heart dropped. He knew this had to be coming, nightmares were a near constant companion to Mila, but she hadn’t crawled to his bed over one in a while… Without needing an answer, he moved and lifted up his blankets. Mila plastered herself to his side and he let out a sigh, wrapping her up in his arms. She was wearing one of his uniform shirts as a nightgown again, and he had a stray thought to ask Garak to tailor it to fit her better. After waiting until her sniffling had died down a bit, he asked her in a tone of voice just hearable in her lower hearing range, “Would you like to talk about the nightmare?”

 

It was a long time before Julian felt her head nod against his chest. With one hand he rubbed soothing circles in her back, feeling the slight ridging along the spine that helped ease her tension. “You were dead-” is how she starts and Julian can’t stop his wince in time. He’d only been proclaimed dead for around 20 hours during the event with the Harvesters, but it’d left lasting scars in Mila. “-and then  _ he _ showed up.”

 

The way she spat out the male pronoun dashed any hopes for this nightmare being better than the others. “Who showed up, stardust?” He asked gently, hoping his calm voice would soothe her as well.

 

“Dukat.”

 

Ah. No real explanation needed on that point. Her voiced tapered off into a scared and watery whisper, “He was taking me away...to Cardassia.”

 

Pulling her tighter against him, Julian tried to hold her as hard as he could while still allowing her to breathe easily. “No one is taking you anywhere, sweetling.” Mila started crying again, and Julian could feel her little claws digging into his sides. He ignored the small stab of pain they caused, concerned only in calming his daughter. Closing his eyes, he started humming a song they’d discovered while listening to classical music. “ _ You are not alone, you are right at home... _ ” It never failed in sending Mila to sleep, though Julian feared he’d not be resting again tonight.

 

Because now he could only think about his own nightmares, and what he and the Chief had been through while on the run for their lives from the  T’Lani and the Kelleruns. Many humans had the luxury of never remembering their dreams. Julian remembered every dream he’d ever had since he was six, though he tried to ignore them. More often than not, his nightmares refused to be ignored…

 

Lately his had included elements of his argument with O’Brien while on the planet, their differences in parenting, how the Chief was prejudiced against his daughter, Julian’s own arrogance that honestly was deserved if he’d had the capability to use his full potential. Which of course lead to nightmares about being exposed. And the ramifications on Mila for when that might happen…

 

He found himself incredibly grateful that this event not only caused Jadzia to officially accept Godmotherhood over Mila, thus letting him change his will, but also gave the shocking back up plan of Garak possibly attaining custody. Julian could breathe easier knowing that if anything happened to him, Mila would not be alone, would not be sent back to the orphanage like she so obviously feared. Or worse, in his opinion, being sent to his parents on Earth. That thought kept him up at night, and now that he’d delved into it again, his brain would not stop thinking of all the horrible possibilities that presented. He for sure wasn’t going back to sleep.

 

Instead he turned his attention to Mila, who was now breathing softly. Garak told him that Cardassian children slept in the family bed with their parents until the age of ascension in some cases. He wasn’t sure if he was okay with Mila staying in bed with him until she was nine, but nights like these he was far from unhappy about it. It was soothing, having a warm body cuddling him. Well, perhaps not warm as Mila was actually a few degrees colder than him, but the feeling of somebody close in the peace of sleep was reassuring. Julian even let himself acknowledge that was a large reason he’d slept around so much. Getting that connection, however temporary, was a sweetness he treasured. Being able to be openly affectionate satisfied him on a fundamental level he’d long ago accepted.

 

Perhaps it was good that he’d stopped doing that once he got Mila. He had no need so long as she was around to smother with affection. His need to give tactile love was matched with her desire to be held and feel that love. He really couldn’t imagine life without her, and sincerely hoped he’d never have to.


End file.
